Ella McIntosh is a contemporary pewtersmith, bringing new ways of working to this ancient metal which is sometimes known as ‘poor man’s silver’. Ella initially trained as a silversmith but swapped her skills to pewter when she was introduced to it during the second year of her training. “It was love at first hammer!”
The pieces Ella is showing at Collect 2024 are from her newest body of work, a significant step change in her practice following development supported by an Arts Council England grant. Through this development Ella has introduced the method of pewter casting into her practice, which has previously been primarily sheet-metal based. The casting process also allows her to re-use metal and reduce wastage in her making processes, working her way through over a decade of studio offcuts form sheet metal cutting.
Ella is pushing the boundaries and limits of traditional pewter casting methods, creating large complex slabs of metal. She incorporates repeated textures and designs directly inspired by her Northern surroundings – the landscapes of her Lancashire childhood, and the ever-changing cityscape of current base Manchester, which is undergoing a building boom. She uses her cast panels to ‘construct’ her designs, using the inherent repetition of the castings to create abundance of texture and recurrence of visual effect.
This work brings attention to what Ella relishes about pewter: it has a freedom of scale that other precious metals struggle to capture. By combining the repeated action of prefabricated and modular cast panels with highly polished sheet metal elements she is able to create towering contemporary objects. She is challenging the perception of pewter and its standing within the precious and craft metal arena, switching from her initial training as a silversmith to become a champion of pewter. Ella is drawn by its unique making properties, its complex history within the landscape of metalsmithing and the ongoing dialogue around where contemporary pewter sits within the wider environs of working with precious and craft metals.
Contemporary pewter is lead free, which means it doesn’t tarnish. The pewter used in Ella’s work is oxidised, blackened and coated to contrast with the highly polished pewter elements.
Pieces for sale:
Castscape 1, 2022, W 30cm x H 27cm, pewter sculpture
£2,850
Castscape 2, 2024, W 17cm x H 45cm x D 11cm, pewter sculpture
£2,350
Castscape 3, 2024, W 18cm x H 38cm, pewter sculpture
£1,650
Email Ella: ella@ellamcintosh.co.uk